A New Comprehensive Overview Document  is Now available from DHS CISA and the Federal Partnership for Interoperable Communications (FPIC)

 The Who, What, When, Where, How, and Why of Encryption in P25 Public Safety Land Mobile Radio Systems
was published in May 2023

The Full document can be downloaded using the link below:

The Who, What, When, Where, How, and Why of Encryption in P25 Public Safety Land Mobile Radio Systems 

This guide provides readers new to the topic of encryption with a discussion of basic issues
related to establishing and maintaining effective encryption for Project 25 (P25) interoperable
LMR communications systems.  It is highly recommended for agencies planning, implementing, and managing an LMR encryption strategy

It combines and updates the content of three previously published
documents issued by the Federal Partnership for Interoperable Communications (FPIC), SAFECOM,
and the National Council of Statewide Interoperability Coordinators (NCSWIC) in 2016:

• Considerations for Encryption in Public Safety Radio Systems: This document examines why
encryption is necessary during critical operations. The document provides examples of how
encryption decreases the threat of compromise and reduces the risk to personnel safety
while providing protection of sensitive information.
• Guidelines for Encryption in Land Mobile Radio Systems: This document provides information
that should be considered when evaluating encryption solutions to protect sensitive
operational or life safety radio transmissions.
• Best Practices for Encryption in P25 Public Safety Land Mobile Radio Systems: This
document discusses encryption best practices for P25 LMR systems. The document also
provides an understanding of how basic key management parameters are related in P25 LMR
systems.

The document adds to the previous publications an extensive new section on encryption key
management, based on current proven encryption practices.

The overall objective is to further define and explain encryption and provide reliable guidance for
planning, implementing, and managing an LMR encryption strategy. Special emphasis is on two core
issues: 1) establishing common procedures—including governance, policies, and training—to preserve
user-defined interoperability and 2) managing encryption keys, the random strings of bits used to encode and decode data.

The Project 25 Technology Interest Group (PTIG) is pleased to welcome SKYMIRA as a new corporate member.  We welcome Robert Landsfield, Ellie Dugger, Scott Henderson, Christina Hommes, and the SKYMIRA  team to the organization.

Skymira has reinvented radio over IP technology to solve common push-to-talk communications problems. Their innovative solutions connect land mobile radios over IP networks to eliminate gaps in network coverage, create disaster resilience, and provide seamless interoperability. Since 1998, Skymira has been creating satellite-enabled solutions for workflow challenges. Working with public safety and government land mobile radio users gives Skymira a security-focused approach to system integration.

Skymira’s new P25 IP Relay creates a portable, highly secure P25 network. It transmits audio, subscriber ID, GPS location, and emergency alerts from all P25 conventional radios over any IP network(s) including satellite, LTE, and FirstNet. Skymira’s communication solutions provide real-time communications regardless of what’s going on. 

Website:

http://www.skymira.com

Contact information:

Robert Landsfield,  CEO

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Scott Henderson, Director of Sales

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The Project 25 Technology Interest Group (PTIG) is pleased to welcome BYNE as a new corporate member.  We welcome Andre Nazario de Souza, Vitor Espindola and the BYNE team to the organization.

BYNE is a company created with the objective of simplifying critical operational environments. Their mission is to simplify critical operating center environments, focusing on the user, simplifying and streamlining the operation of strategic segments of the economy, with a high impact on society. They have full integration with P25 technology over DFSI and/or CSSI protocols and provide interoperability of P25 with other LMR protocols and also other communications platforms like telephony systems, satellite PTT and others.

They offer clients integration, control and security for operations in the Public Safety, Financial, Oil & Gas, Energy, and Transportation areas.

Website:

https://www.byne.com.br

Contact information:

André Nazário de Souza, CEO

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Vitor Espíndola,  CTO

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The Project 25 Technology Interest Group (PTIG) is pleased to publish PPT presentations from our P25 panels presented at the IWCE 2023 Conference in Las Vegas.

The PPTs can be downloaded using the links below and will remain available as an archive on the document tab of our www.project25.org website.

 P25 New Standards, Capabilities, and Security for 2023 and Beyond

Link: PTIG_P25_New_Standards-Interoperability-Security_IWCE_2023_R05.pdf

Learn what's new for Project 25 in 2023 and beyond including: New P25 Link Layer Security Standards (Cyber Security for P25 Control Channels and Unit IDs), A new "GPS location on every PTT" Standard for P25 subscriber units and a new Multi-vendor "User ID alias" capability to share the user-name for each unit across multiple systems and talk groups.

See how P25 technology is adapting and interworking to meet the changing technology eco-system. Look at the top priorities for the future of P25 from the Steering Committee Chair and the P25 User Needs Working Group. Get the latest Standards update including: P25 Standards recently completed and new Standards in development including LMR interworking with LTE and Mission-Critical PTT.

Strong interest in Communications Security and Encryption is growing. Review the new P25 Link Layer Standards, P25 User Authentication Standards, and improved, interoperable, AES Key Management. Explore P25 testing resources including the DHS CAP program and Independent Labs.

P25 on Steroids: Get the most out of your P25 System

Link: P25_on_Steroids_-_Get_the_most_out_of_your_P25_System_IWCE_2023_REV_04_230315.pdf

A panel of veteran P25 System Administrators and policy planners offer a first-hand view of their experience with P25 technology. A description of their P25 Systems, architecture, and governance models is shared. A detailed look at individual best practices and lessons learned to maximize interoperability, performance, and cost-effective communications for their member agencies is offered. Requirements for local agencies to join the P25 systems and for manufacturers to offer P25 compliant products on the system is described.

Case Studies will Include: State of Texas System of Systems, US Department of Defense, The State of New Mexico P25 Statewide System, and the US Department of Justice.

Future PTT Harmony Through P25 LMR-LTE Interworking

Link: Future_PTT_Harmony_Through_P25_LMR-LTE_Interworking_REV_06_230313.pdf

The session begins with a Whitepaper by SAFECOM/NCSWIC that details LMR LTE Interworking on the air today in multiple P25 Systems.  Then the latest 2023 update for LMR LTE Interworking Standards from the TIA TR-8.8 subcommittee (responsible for P25 Standards) and The Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) is presented. This Working Group is developing guidelines for MCPTT inter-working between P25 LMR and LTE systems.  Learn about User considerations for extending existing P25 systems with LMR/LTE Interworking. This will include: Supported feature-sets from P25 (ISSI/CSSI/etc), as well as Encryption, User device, & Cybersecurity considerations.

New Technologies for P25 Testing and Compliance

Link: New_Technologies_for_P25_Testing_and_Compliance_2023_REV_06_230324.pdf

As Project 25 technology and Standards have evolved over the last 30 years, new P25 Testing Technology has kept pace with a broad array of testing products, services, labs and compliance assessment programs. These services are currently available to help users protect their Critical infrastructure and guide the procurement, application, and maintenance of their P25 Systems.

The session begins with a P25 Consultant offering an overview of the testing options available and the important considerations for testing during procurement, deployment and ongoing maintenance for P25 Systems. A new concept that allows Subscriber Radios to be tested automatically, "over the air" will be presented. Multiple P25 "Network linked" Test solutions for the P25 Inter-System (ISSI) and Console (CSSI) testing will be shown. "In Building" Coverage test solutions for P25 will be explained. Testing capabilities by an Independent Lab for P25 CAP and beyond P25 CAP testing will be shared. And finally, the latest P25 capable test equipment for service shops, field analysis, and laboratory testing with SW based auto test capabilities will be profiled. An update on testing compliance through the DHS CAP will be included including the new ISSI and CSSI interoperability testing regimes.